Blown Away (A Kite Shop Mystery)

I probably would have liked the book if Emmy weren't so rude, obnoxious and mouthy. She opens her mouth and lets fly on everyone including her mother. This really doesn't make a good main character because it's impossible to care about her. Someone like this usually winds up as a body in a book instead of the one that comes back. I won't waste another $8 on the second book to see if it's any better.

The setting of a kite shop and Oregon coast, other characters, and the resolution of the murder allows me to give this first-in-a-series 2 stars instead of 1. Sometimes the first book is a little rough. I did not like like the protagonist, Emmy, because she was impulsive, rude, and rather self-centered. Her character made this difficult reading for me. I kept reading, because I did want to know who committed the murder.

Intriguing tale with an interesting female protagonist solving the mystery and dealing with her own personal dramas. Great sense of place -- Oregon coast and small towns beautifully described. So interesting to learn more about kites too!

I saved this for a long train ride and it was the right read. Interesting characters and plot and I learned a thing or two about kites.

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Blown Away is the first book in the A Kite Shop Mystery series and a wonderful debut it is. The next time somebody tells you to go fly a kite, your first stop should be Strings Attached to talk with Emmy and purchase one of her handmade kites.Emmy Adler has moved to Rock Point to live her dream and open a kite shop specializing in her own design handmade kites. The morning of the Grand Opening, Emmy and her dog Bear are taking their early morning walk on the beach, when Bear runs off to a collection of rocks along the shoreline and starts to bark. When Emmy catches up she finds that Bear has been barking at what appears to be a dead body. The body turns out to be that of Miles Logan, the chef at The Tidal Basin.While getting her business off to a start, Emmy is living at Avery Cook’s house, they have been friends since childhood. Avery had recently broken up with Logan and the night he was killed, Avery had claimed she was ill and went to her room and since she was not seen until the next day, she has no alibi. When it is found that she was to met with Miles the night of his death and is reported to have been seen near where he was found, With Avery arrested for the murder and in Emmy’s opinion that police are not interested in looking any further, she begins her own investigation,Emmy soon learns of an argument between some mushroom hunters and Logan, that Logan had plans to open his own restaurant which might lead the owner of the Tidal Inn to lose his business and that there were plans to use Avery’s property for a real estate development.With the help of Stella Hart, a retired school teacher and local artist, who Emmy has hired to help out in the kite shop and from, surprisingly, Jack Sullivan owner of a rival kite shop.I really enjoyed this new series and had me guessing until the end. It has a well-plotted story with interesting and well-developed characters. Looking for seeing more of Stella and seeing what might develop between Emmy and Jack.I can’t wait for the next book in this exciting series

It always amazes me when a new theme for a cozy mystery emerges, and I think to myself “Why haven’t we seen that before?” That was the case with Blown Away, which starts the Kite Shop Mysteries. While I didn’t fly kites too much as a kid, I certainly was interested in reading this debut.Emmy Adler has moved from Portland to the small town of Rock Point on the Oregon coast to open Strings Attached, a kite shop. She’s even living in the home that her friend Avery Cook owns right on the beach. She’s super excited about starting this new chapter in her life.In fact, she’s so excited that she wakes up super early on the day her shop is supposed to open. Taking her dog, Bear, to the beach for a walk, they make a grisly discovery – a dead body washed up on the rocks. Being new to town, Emmy doesn’t recognize the man, but the identification is quick – Miles Logan, who was the chef as the gastropub in town. He also used to date Avery, making her the prime suspect. Emmy knows her friend couldn’t have done it, but no one seems willing to listen and the evidence seems to be piling up against her. Can Emmy find the killer despite everything going on?I fell in love with the setting in the first chapter. Rock Point is one of those small coastal towns that thrives on tourists – the kind of place where you want to settle in and live when you pass through them on vacation. I was smiling as Emmy was describing the place to us.Not that we had too long before the body turned up. Emmy’s discovery ends the first chapter of the book, and the drama starts right away. I did feel the pace was slightly off at times, but there were some good twists before we reached the climax. Everything made perfect sense at the end, too.Emmy was an interesting main character. She seemed to get angry at other characters easily, especially one or two nemeses. At times, I could certainly understand her frustration since it seemed no one was willing to believe her that Avery was innocent. Other times, it seems very over the top. The other characters are varied and well developed, which helped keep my interest as I was reading.Overall, the strengths made this book soar, at least in my mind. I’m looking forward to visiting Emmy and my new friends in Rock Point again, soon. If you haven’t met them yet, read Blown Away soon.NOTE: I received a copy of this book.